Sometimes, the savory parts of a meal are the additions. Put some icing on that cake; no one likes dry sweet bread in a pan.

Other times, the reduction and distilling is where the "wow" is. Master chefs can use just three ingredients and make something delight your taste buds like never before.

There is value in the adding to and value in the taking away.

The trick is to only add to when you don't have to make up for something else (put on all the toppings you want, if your ice cream is too buttery for its own good, I'll pass). And you must only take away when the integrity of what's left is remarkable enough to stand on its own.

Another example: beautiful curtains in a house with a poor foundation don't make a bit of difference. And a solid foundation with no walls isn't habitable.

In all things, quality first.

Then comes quantity.

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